Jerusalem Review – Boisterous, Colourful, Ennui Embodied
Trigger Warning: themes of paedophilia and sexual assault.
Co-directors Lucy Yellow and Kate Matthews summon up a brilliant historic collective in Theatre Group’s Jerusalem. Not only did this performance bring back strong memories of calling my teacher a “c*nt” – (I read for the main Byron’s sidekick Ginger), but evoked a time gone past, an England out of touch, an Auld Lang Syne…
The monumental character of Johnny “Rooster” Byron, whose very name conjures up Romanticist comparisons, is played marvellously by Tom Grice. To my knowledge a fresher, I cannot wait to see what Tom has in store for us at Leeds. His stylised limp and gruff exterior are perfectly suited to the necessary pathos injected into Rooster’s monologues, whether that be about the outdated British references, or a gruelling speech to his son.
The support in Jerusalem are excellent: to name but a few – Lee (Angus Bell) a jumpy kid whose trip to Australia seems always around the corner and another spliff away, Ginger (Jess Payne) animated and expressive, gesticulating wildly throughout their drug-infused haze, and Wesley (Charlie Crozier), demonstrating the crushing highs and lows… of Flintock Fair Morris dancing.
Gender-blind casting felt like the play’s most serious revision, other than cuts to the particular parts of the narrative regarding concerning themes of paedophilia and sexual assault. An apt trigger warning at the start of the show is included. It is clear, in the wake of years gone by since the original 2009 production alongside the integral #MeToo movement, certain thematic strands that were prominent have been cut. However, Theatre Group’s production still maintains Butterworth’s historic original theme of anti-authority. The Morris Dancing classes at TG’s fundraiser contribute to this theatrical authenticity and provide a laugh or two along the riotous way.
Further, the play’s production value is great, the South Wiltshire Forest fringe community completed in record detail. A plenitude of abandoned shopping trolleys, half empty red cups, trivial pursuit cards and to top it off – a mud-stained caravan front. The eery interludes of folk singing complement an excellent stage design, one transcending an easy chronology.
While Jerusalem at a glance may hearken back to the past, and the older production inherently alluding to an England splintered by class divide, Theatre Group’s burgeoning ensemble tread along the lay lines and look ahead to the future.
Rating: 3.5/5
Jerusalem is on its final night (tonight) at Stage@Leeds. You can purchase tickets here.
